The City of Montreal is asking the Government of Quebec to intervene to put an end to the odor problems at the Sanimax plant in the Rivière-des-Prairies sector.
• Read also: Sanimax: a plan to reduce odors in Lévis
• Read also: Nauseous odors: the City of Lévis threatens to impose fines on Sanimax
Montreal’s exit follows Wednesday’s announcement of an action plan presented by Minister Benoit Charette, responsible for the environment and the fight against climate change, to reduce odors from the Sanimax in Levis.
“I am extremely disappointed to see that the government is acting in Lévis, but not in Rivière-des-Prairies. I absolutely do not see how to justify that our sector is not part of the action plan” denounced Caroline Bourgeois, mayoress of the borough of Rivière-des-Prairies – Pointe-aux-Trembles.
For her, it is “inconceivable”, especially since the problem is not new, complaints have been pouring in for several decades, according to her words.
Minister Benoit Charette announced his plan on Wednesday to put an end to nuisances, after receiving an avalanche of complaints during the summer of 2021. Including measures to reduce odors, the plan had been developed in collaboration with the ministry. of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Quebec (MAPAQ) and the company Sanimax.
In Montreal, in the Rivière-des-Prairies sector, citizens have long complained about the foul odors that pollute their daily lives. The factory specializes in the recovery of dead farm animals, used cooking oil or skins and organic matter, resulting in rotting smells.
“You just have to come in the middle of a heat wave. And I’m not talking about being in front of the factory. Residents, up to a kilometer and a half away, are forced to interrupt their activities to return indoors due to the smell of animal carcasses. The whole neighborhood suffers the consequences,” illustrated Ms. Bourgois.
She recalls that the carcasses arriving at the factory are in a state of “advanced putrefaction”, especially since the trucks transporting them are not refrigerated or hermetically sealed. Several spills on the roadway in recent years have raised the ire of local residents.
In January, the Superior Court recognized the guilt of Sanimax, which appealed two judgments condemning it for having polluted the air and water around its Montreal factory.
In the office of the mayor of Montreal, Valérie Plante, it is also indicated that it is working “tirelessly” to force the company to respect environmental laws and to stop it from “polluting the quality of life” of residents in the area.
“We are impatiently awaiting the MAPAQ plan for Montreal, it has been more than 30 years that the citizens of the East of Montreal have been suffering from the nuisances caused by the company”, indicated Catherine Cadotte, press officer for the mayor.
She recalls that it is the ministry that has the power to “cooperate” with the company.
Reference-www.journaldemontreal.com